Bateman Set For Heart Bypass Today

Bateman, 60, who is from Newport News, is expected to be hospitalized about a week and return to full-time service within six weeks, said Larry Hart, a spokesman in Bateman's congressional office.

Bateman, a heavy smoker, recently had been having chest pains and went to Bethesda Naval Hospital on April 10 for a checkup, Hart said. An angiography test showed that while Bateman did not have a heart attack, he had artery blockage that could be corrected only with surgery.

Hart said he doesn't know whether the bypass will involve more than one artery. He stressed that Bateman's heart is not damaged and that he should suffer no long-term effects.

"It is fortunate, in a sense, that it was just a warning," Hart said.

Bateman will continue to represent the district during his recovery, Hart said.

For instance, Bateman may occasionally attend meetings of the Armed Services Committee, of which he is a member, to help put together a proposal for the nation's defense budget.

"The idea would be if he was particularly needed on a vote that, under a normal prognosis, doctors would not object," Hart said.

He said Bateman should be back to work by the time the full House of Representatives votes on the defense budget later this spring.

Bateman, who was elected to his fourth congressional term last November, represents a district that stretches from the southern tip of the Peninsula to the counties of the Northern Neck.